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Hans-Helmut Kotz, a former member of the executive board of Deutsche Bundesbank, is Program Director of the SAFE Policy Center at the Goethe University in Frankfurt and a resident fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.

A recent poll ( Forsa, Open Europe ) showed that Germans feel that the EU:18 % should develop into a Federation39 % should continue with the status quo29 % should return to purely the Economic Union20 % the disadvantages of the EU exceed the advantages

The author discusses the ideas of Macron and the response by Merkel.However more attention is required for the ideas of Juncker. Ideas which are aimed at developing the EU into a Federal State. That in a hurry !! ?He has published his ideas in a State of the Union Address 2017 and a Roadmap for deepening the European Economic Monitairy zone.Officially mr. Juncker leads the central Service Center of the Union and is supposed to present his proposals the EU Council.Mr. Juncker appears not to operate as a consultant but as a Government leader. With his staff of 30.000 and an EU Parliament without authority he acts as the most influential EU leader.If Macron, Merkel and other leaders do not keep tight control, we will find that the ideas of mr. Juncker will have been implemented. Whether they will work or not. The approach is: act first and think later.It is good to remember the sloppy way the Euro was introduced.In the Netherlands a poll was held about the State of the union Adress, it was rejected by 97 % of the voters.I understand that mrs. Merkel has trouble of her own.But I think it is time to step on the brakes and spent time to set up the EU on track again. It would also be wise to bring in some, neutral, external experts.

Unless purposefully ignoring it in the rest of your article, your last paragraph probably sums up the lackluster energy of Macron's euro proposals: limited political capital. Wouldn't it be foolish to attempt a project that will ensure political martyrdom when his domestic vision has hardly advanced?